Last week the NFL released a shiny new version of its official Android app. There were some nice additions, like a much-improved interface and some team tracking features. Oh, and it unceremoniously kicked rooted users to the bench, not even allowing them to check scores. Considering that at least some of them had paid Verizon or a cable provider for access to live streaming video, they were justifiably upset.

It looks like the update to version 8.1.1 has quietly removed the root check, allowing power users to access the app without issue. There's no mention of rooted or modified device support in the sparse change log, but we've confirmed that rooted phones on multiple carriers are now running the app without incident. The screenshots above were taken on a rooted Galaxy Note II.

The app is still pretty mediocre, with video restricted to Verizon on smartphones and home WiFi on tablets, both of which require additional content packages. But now it sucks just a little bit less. It's a great day for America, everybody.